The Democratic delegates who slipped away from Obama

By Charles Mahtesian

05/03/12 01:37 AM EDT

Louisiana was one of Barack Obama's weakest-performing states in 2008, a place where he notched just 40 percent of the vote to John McCain's 59 percent. Exit polls reported that Obama carried just 75 percent of the Louisiana Democratic vote, while McCain won 96 percent among Republicans.

Things haven't changed much in four years: Obama won 76 percent in the March 24 Democratic primary against several no-name opponents, including attorney John Wolfe.

At the time, it didn't get much attention but Wolfe won enough votes to capture a handful of delegates according to party rules. A few weeks after the primary, though, the state Democratic Party announced that even though he exceeded the 15 percent threshold in three congressional districts — thus qualifying for three delegates — he would not be awarded any.

Now, Louisiana blog The Hayride reports that Wolfe will file suit Friday in federal court for his delegates:

Even though the party is moving ahead with the nominating process without him, Wolfe vows to keep fighting until he is given the delegates he is due.

“The Louisiana Democratic Party bylaws say that it’s a binding primary. There is no reason for them to hold caucuses on Saturday if the primary isn’t binding — there would be no point” Wolfe said. “This is the kind to thing that the court will decide on, because it’s the kind of thing could happen again in the future and these rules need to be clarified.”

Roughly 20 percent of the vote in Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District, 17 percent in the 3rd Congressional District, and 22 percent in the 7th Congressional District chose Wolfe over Obama.

All-in-all 17,804 Louisiana Democrats voted for him and Wolfe would be the only candidate with any delegates other than Obama at the national convention if courts rule in his favor or the state party changes course and awards them.

Wolfe's delegate haul is ultimately meaningless, no matter the outcome of the suit. But it does raise the prospect of a round of awkward publicity for the president's reelection campaign, and serves as a reminder of the president's enduring weakness in the Deep South.